"Self-regulation is the ability to do what needs to be done to be in the optimal state for the given situation. This includes regulating one's sensory needs, emotions, and impulses to meet the demands of the environment, reach one's goals, and behave in a socially appropriate way" (Kuypers, 2011, p. 3).
"Working from a social cognitive perspective, they defined self-regulation as the ‘‘process whereby students activate and sustain cognitions, behaviors and affects, which are systematically oriented toward attainment of their goals’’ (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1994, p. 309)." (Zito, Atkins & Gavins, 2007, p. 78).
According to the Handbook of Self-Regulation: Research, Theory and Applications (2011), self regulation is described as the ability to
attain, maintain and change one’s level of energy to match the demands of a task or situation
monitor, evaluate and modify one’s emotions
sustain and shift one’s attention when necessary and ignore distractions
understand both the meaning of a variety of social interactions and how to engage in them in a sustainable way
connect with and care about what others are thinking and feeling – to empathize and act accordingly (Shanker, 2013, p. xii)
Shanker, 2013 lists the "Six Critical Elements to Optimal Self-Regulation" as
when feeling calmly focused and alert, the ability to know that one is calm and alert
when one is stressed, the ability to recognize what is causing that stress
the ability to recognize stressors both within and outside the classroom
the desire to deal with those stressors
the ability to develop strategies for dealing with those stressors
the ability to recover efficiently and effectively from dealing with stressors
Shanker, 2013, breaks regulation down in to five domains. An overview of these domains follows. Following the link will take you to a page that includes further information as well as ideas for strategies, supports and interventions that can be used in the classroom related to that specific domain. These suggestions are made with students with neurobiological conditions in mind but can be implemented at a universal level to the benefit of all students.
"The biological domain of self-regulation refers to activity, or the level of energy, in the human nervous system. Levels of energy can and do vary widely from person to person and from situation to situation" (Shanker, 2013, p. xiv). Reaching regulation in the biological domain is linked to either up-regulating (becoming more alert) or down regulating (becoming more calm). This process is linked to which part of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is activated.
"The Autonomic Nervous System is the system that controls many organs and muscles within the body. It is divided in to two parts: the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the parasympathtic nervous system (PNS)" (Shanker, 2013, p. 2).
"The SNS is the system for acceleration and results in quick action. Overacceleration or prolonged activation of this system results in hyperalterness and a rapid depletion of energy. When the SNS is excessively engaged, it can result in a hypersensitive response of fight, flight, or freeze" (Shanker, 2013, p. 2). SNS responses can be appropriate to situations but there are times when the response is out of proportion with the stressor that has caused the response.
"The PNS is the system for recovery or slowing down to a condition of rest. Too much or prolonged de-acceleration of this system can result in hypoactive states such as prolonged lethargy or withdrawal. Excessive activation of the SNS, which in turn demands excessive activation of the PNS, can result in a reduced ability to recover from fight, flight or freeze situation" (Shanker, 2013, p. 3).
Regulation of the biological domain depends on the SNS and PNS being in a balanced state known as homeostasis. This means the SNS and PNS can be appropriately turned on and off efficiently in response to environmental input. "Self regulation in the biological domain can best be understood in terms of the countervailing (counteracting) forces of SNS activation and PNS de-acceleration. This involves, in effect, putting your foot on the gas or on the brakes in order to deal with the stressor and then recover" (Shanker, 2013, p. 4).
"Emotional regulation is a core process underlying attention and social engagement and is essential for optimal social-emotional and communication development and for the development of relationships for children with and without disabilities" (Prizant, Wetherby, Rubin, Laurent & Rydell, 2006, p. 49).
"Emotional regulation can be defined at the processes that are responsible for controlling your emotional reactions in order to meet your goal. This includes monitoring, evaluating, and modifying the intensity and timing of your emotional response. Emotions are automatically triggered in response to events. Cognitive elements, such as having objectivity (determining the size of the problem), motivation, and understanding others' perspectives are used in regulating the emotion" (Kuypers, 2011, p. 6).
Emotion regulation can only occur when one is physiologically regulated. If the SNS is over-activated, a person will be in a flight, fight or freeze response and unable to employ the cognitive processes outlined above.
"Emotional regulation has been described as having five dimensions: 1) cognitive appraisal, 2) physiological aspects of emotion (arousal), 3) emotional expression (i.e., affect display and action), 4) socialization, and 5) regulation of emotion and mood states. These dimensions are critical in helping to understand how emotional regulation develops in young children and in helping to identify areas of difficulty and breakdown in children with ASD" (Prizant, Wetherby, Rubin, Laurent & Rydell, 2006, p. 49).
"The cognitive domain relates to mental processes such as memory, attention, the acquisition and retention of information, and problem solving. As a teacher, you will no doubt find this area of self-regulation the most familiar. Optimal self-regulation in this domain means that a student can efficiently sustain and switch attention, sequence his or her thoughts, keep several pieces of information in his or her mind at the same time, ignore distractions, and inhibit impulsive behaviour" (Shanker, 2013, p. ivi).
"A child who is optimally regulated in this domain understands, assesses, and acts on particular social cues and in general behaves in a socially appropriate manner" (Shanker, 2013, p. xvii).
"Social interactions involve integrating three components: thinking, feeling and doing. These components do not work in isolation. Instead they work in concert, each capable of promoting or hindering successful social performance. Thinking involves knowing what to do (declarative knowledge) and how to do it (procedural knowledge). Thinking also involves taking another person's perspective and self-awareness. Feeling involves regulating emotions, such as anxiety, that might otherwise hinder successful social performance. Doing involves the execution (e.g., motor movements) of the social performance" (Bellini, 2006, p. 31).
"Children who have difficulty with self-regulation often find it very difficult, if not impossible, to develop and exercise social skills" (Shanker, 2013, p. 75).
The term prosocial refers to those behaviours that are positive, helpful, and intended to promote social acceptance and friendship. For research purposes, the pro-social domain encompasses empathy, altruism, and morality" (Shanker, 2013, p. 93).
"This domain can be characterized as intrinsically stressful. It invariably involves, to a greater or lesser degree and depending on the individual, conflicts between what one child is feeling or wants and what another child is feeling or wants" (Shanker, 2013, p. 101).
"Self-regulation is the ability to do what needs to be done to be in the optimal state for the given situation. This includes regulating one's sensory needs, emotions, and impulses to meet the demands of the environment, reach one's goals, and behave in a socially appropriate way" (Kuypers, 2011, p. 3).
"Working from a social cognitive perspective, they defined self-regulation as the ‘‘process whereby students activate and sustain cognitions, behaviors and affects, which are systematically oriented toward attainment of their goals’’ (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1994, p. 309)." (Zito, Atkins & Gavins, 2007, p. 78).
According to the Handbook of Self-Regulation: Research, Theory and Applications (2011), self regulation is described as the ability to
Shanker, 2013 lists the "Six Critical Elements to Optimal Self-Regulation" as
Shanker, 2013, breaks regulation down in to five domains. An overview of these domains follows. Following the link will take you to a page that includes further information as well as ideas for strategies, supports and interventions that can be used in the classroom related to that specific domain. These suggestions are made with students with neurobiological conditions in mind but can be implemented at a universal level to the benefit of all students.
Biological Domain
"The biological domain of self-regulation refers to activity, or the level of energy, in the human nervous system. Levels of energy can and do vary widely from person to person and from situation to situation" (Shanker, 2013, p. xiv). Reaching regulation in the biological domain is linked to either up-regulating (becoming more alert) or down regulating (becoming more calm). This process is linked to which part of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is activated.
Regulation of the biological domain depends on the SNS and PNS being in a balanced state known as homeostasis. This means the SNS and PNS can be appropriately turned on and off efficiently in response to environmental input. "Self regulation in the biological domain can best be understood in terms of the countervailing (counteracting) forces of SNS activation and PNS de-acceleration. This involves, in effect, putting your foot on the gas or on the brakes in order to deal with the stressor and then recover" (Shanker, 2013, p. 4).
Emotional Domain
"Emotional regulation is a core process underlying attention and social engagement and is essential for optimal social-emotional and communication development and for the development of relationships for children with and without disabilities" (Prizant, Wetherby, Rubin, Laurent & Rydell, 2006, p. 49).
"Emotional regulation can be defined at the processes that are responsible for controlling your emotional reactions in order to meet your goal. This includes monitoring, evaluating, and modifying the intensity and timing of your emotional response. Emotions are automatically triggered in response to events. Cognitive elements, such as having objectivity (determining the size of the problem), motivation, and understanding others' perspectives are used in regulating the emotion" (Kuypers, 2011, p. 6).
Emotion regulation can only occur when one is physiologically regulated. If the SNS is over-activated, a person will be in a flight, fight or freeze response and unable to employ the cognitive processes outlined above.
"Emotional regulation has been described as having five dimensions: 1) cognitive appraisal, 2) physiological aspects of emotion (arousal), 3) emotional expression (i.e., affect display and action), 4) socialization, and 5) regulation of emotion and mood states. These dimensions are critical in helping to understand how emotional regulation develops in young children and in helping to identify areas of difficulty and breakdown in children with ASD" (Prizant, Wetherby, Rubin, Laurent & Rydell, 2006, p. 49).
Cognitive Domain
"The cognitive domain relates to mental processes such as memory, attention, the acquisition and retention of information, and problem solving. As a teacher, you will no doubt find this area of self-regulation the most familiar. Optimal self-regulation in this domain means that a student can efficiently sustain and switch attention, sequence his or her thoughts, keep several pieces of information in his or her mind at the same time, ignore distractions, and inhibit impulsive behaviour" (Shanker, 2013, p. ivi).
Social Domain
"A child who is optimally regulated in this domain understands, assesses, and acts on particular social cues and in general behaves in a socially appropriate manner" (Shanker, 2013, p. xvii).
"Social interactions involve integrating three components: thinking, feeling and doing. These components do not work in isolation. Instead they work in concert, each capable of promoting or hindering successful social performance. Thinking involves knowing what to do (declarative knowledge) and how to do it (procedural knowledge). Thinking also involves taking another person's perspective and self-awareness. Feeling involves regulating emotions, such as anxiety, that might otherwise hinder successful social performance. Doing involves the execution (e.g., motor movements) of the social performance" (Bellini, 2006, p. 31).
"Children who have difficulty with self-regulation often find it very difficult, if not impossible, to develop and exercise social skills" (Shanker, 2013, p. 75).
Pro-social Domain
The term prosocial refers to those behaviours that are positive, helpful, and intended to promote social acceptance and friendship. For research purposes, the pro-social domain encompasses empathy, altruism, and morality" (Shanker, 2013, p. 93).
"This domain can be characterized as intrinsically stressful. It invariably involves, to a greater or lesser degree and depending on the individual, conflicts between what one child is feeling or wants and what another child is feeling or wants" (Shanker, 2013, p. 101).